Lewis Hamilton exited qualifying in Miami in P13 as the Mercedes driver struggled with the handling of the W14 around the American circuit.
While George Russell managed a slightly better performance, landing P6, the result reflected the struggles Mercedes have experienced in the new era of regulations.
Since the biggest overhaul in regulations in Formula 1’s history, Mercedes has been off the pace of its Red Bull rivals, forcing the team to radically redesign the W14.
Mercedes has to struggle through one final weekend with the current W14 before bringing forward its upgrade package at Imola.
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After qualifying, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff offered a brutal assessment of the W14, calling it a “nasty piece of work” that has caused pain and disappointment for the team.
“I take no enjoyment from (Russell) finishing sixth,” Wolff stated.
“It’s the lack of comprehension of what it is, that makes this car such a nasty piece of work.
“I think that the car is not a nice car, not a good car.
“I would say the performance is just really bad.”
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Mercedes will be even more frustrated to see Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso starting on the front row, as the two teams battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Wolff, who recently took on a new role at the Harvard Business School, would fail the car if it was a student in his class, as it’s failed to improve in the 20 months since the team last appeared in Miami.
Mercedes will be facing an uphill battle for points in the Grand Prix, as Hamilton has to overtake three drivers just to make it into the top ten.